Father denies murdering daughter

Ikamanu told the detective at one point that it appeared as if the children were having an argument. Photo / File

A father denied throwing his two-year-old daughter against a wall but told police he was "a little bit angry" because his daughter was spoilt.

Kefu Ikamanu has denied murdering his daughter Seini, injuring with reckless disregard by grabbing and breaking her shoulder, and causing grievous bodily harm by stomping on her pelvis and shattering it.

Seini was rushed to Auckland's Starship hospital where she died eight months later in December 2010.

Ikamanu was interviewed by police several times after the alleged incident. One of the DVD interviews is being played to the jurors at the High Court at Auckland today.

Detective David Paea asked Ikamanu about a previous comment Ikamanu had made about how Seini got her fatal injuries

"On our way to the police car we talked and ... you said that you grabbed Seini and threw her across the room and her head hit the wall."

Ikamanu - through a Tongan translator - said he had not thrown Seini.

He said he had been watching television in the livingroom while Seini and her little brother were playing.

Ikamanu told the detective at one point that it appeared as if the children were having an argument.

"So I ... I look at Seini's face, I don't know if she was angry at me but she was looking at me so I ... and then I grabbed her on her hands ... My intention is to grab Seini to come closer to me but um, my force was so ... so high ..."

He said he and Seini were holding hands but both let go and Seini's head bumped against the wall.

Detective Paea asked Ikamanu if he was angry when he grabbed Seini.

"I was a little bit angry but ... I was trying to tell Seini ... to bring Seini closer to me to tell her what to do and I think it was too hard."

When asked why he was angry, Ikamanu said Seini had been brought up in Tonga by her grandparents.

"... They spoil her too much in Tonga."

The court previously heard from Dr Andrew Law who performed emergency brain surgery on Seini.

Without surgery, she would have died in minutes. Dr Law said a portion of Seini's skull was removed in order to drain the blood from inside her skull and relieve the pressure on her brain.

But despite the surgery, Seini was unwell. Part of her brain was swelling and had "projected like a mushroom" out the side of her skull.

Dr Law described the damage as "enormous". He said doctors later decided to withdraw all therapy and stop artificial respiration. They made Seini as comfortable as possible.